keeping this country at the forefront of research, technology and clean energy. putting people back to work, rebuilding our roads, our bridges and our schools. and reducing our deficit in a balanced and responsible way. now on this last item, we face a very clear deadline that requires us to make some big decisions on jobs, taxes, and deficits by the end of the year. both parties voted to set this deadline and i believe that both parties can work together to make these decisions in a balanced and responsible way. yesterday i had a chance to meet with labor and civic leaders for their input, today i'm meeting with ceos of some of america's largest companies. and i'll meet with leaders of both parties of congress before the week is out because there's only one way to solve these challenges and that is to do it together. as i've said before, i'm open to compromise and new ideas. and i've been encouraged over the past week to hear republican after republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest americans as part of our arithmetic if we're going to b